Raw Vegan Coconut Cashew Sweet Balls

When I first embarked on a raw food journey, sweet balls became my staple. They were easy to make, satisfying, quick (no dehydration, long prep hours necessary), and most importantly, they hit that sweet tooth spot that is so hard to satisfy for me!

You only need a few ingredients to make up an easy base for sweet balls, like dates and nuts, and you can get as creative as you want from there. These Raw Vegan Coconut Cashew Sweet Balls are one of my all-time favorites to date!

I actually just stumbled upon these pictures today, and the truth is they were taken at least two years ago, probably closer to three. This is one of the very first raw food recipes that I’ve ever made, before I even had my Vitamix. Right before Christmas 2012, I decided I didn’t feel as healthy as I would like to, and I embarked on a Master Cleanse detox journey. I was on the cleanse for 12 days straight! It was quite a feat which I wish to repeat again (it just ain’t easy to start!). I drank the Master cleanse lemonade, made with organic lemons, grade B quality Maple syrup, and cayenne pepper, mixed in the best water you can find, preferably spring. After completing the cleanse, I was craving foods - but only very light and nutritious. I eased out of the cleanse by eating a lot of raw foods, and this is how Girl in the Raw came to be!

Now, three and a half years later, I have gone through my ups and downs with raw food. One thing that made me eat more cooked foods is marathon and triathlon training, but it’s not always the most optimal choice. I love to eat as much raw food as possible, preferably about 50%, on a daily basis. And one of the things that easily increase that raw vital food intake is Sweet Balls!

Benefits of Raw Coconut Cashew balls:

natural sugars from dates (which are filled with energy and are a great pre or post workout food)

coconuts are always a good choice! filled with healthy fats and amino acids

raw (preferably soaked) cashews are another healthy fat source that will keep you satisfied for a long time

rich in fiber making your belly happy!

nuts are a great source of raw plant-based protein

Besides topping them with delicious raw Caramel date cream, and coconut shavings, I enjoyed my sweet balls (yes, I laugh out loud a bit every time I say or write this - if you have a better name, let me know!) with homemade raw nut milk!

Coconut Cashew Sweet Balls

{vegan, raw food, gluten free, no added sugar}

1/2 cup cashews (can soak them, but not for too long to maintain consistency)

8 medjool dates

1/2 coconut flakes (I used raw unsweetened) plus more for decoration

pinch pink Himalayan salt￼￼

For the Date Paste:

5-6 medjool dates

2-3 tbsp water

pinch of salt (optional)

Instructions:

Place all ingredients in a blender or food processor and process until a creamy think paste forms. If you soaked your cashews, and are using medjool dates, the paste should be naturally moist and easy to form into balls. If your nuts were dry and you used a different type of dates, it might turn out dry too. In that case add a tablespoon or two of water, coconut water or coconut cream to the mix.

To make the caramel paste, simply pit and blend your dates with water, adding liquid slowly to achieve desired consistency.

Enjoy!

If you try my recipe out, I would love to hear about it! Tag your posts with #girlintheraw or #GIRrecipes so I can find them and check them out.